Buying the Buick
by linklovesme
Summary: Daphne has a secret. Fred is trying to solve that mystery. Velma admits she has a crush on a certain somebody. Shaggy overhears everything.
1. Chapter 1

_**Buying the Buick**_

**Summary: **For once, Daphne does not split up with Fred, but why the sudden change of heart? Well, to say the least, it has to do with buying a Buick.

**Author's Note: **This is a challenge write. Somebody challenged me to write it, and I got so into it…well, I took the challenge (duh!). Oh, and buying the Buick does not simply mean to "buy a Buick" as in the car; it has another meaning, too.

**Disclaimer: **Me no own-y Scooby Doo.

The date was September 25, 1969 and a group of teenaged children were piling into a brightly colored van. A proud looking blonde drove the car; and a superficially giddy red-head sat squished in-between the driver and the mousy brunette that sat in the shotgun. Lying in the trunk of the van was a scruffy, unkempt hippie and his all faithful Great Dane companion. The mousy brunette, named Velma, piped up, "So, I was thinking that a Chevrolet would suit me well," For, she was going to be turning sixteen in a week, and the present from the gang to Velma was her very first car.

"Vel-ma, I'm not going to let my best friend drive around in a Chev-ro-let!" The superficially giddy girl, more formally known as Daphne, added. As a matter of fact, Daphne was abnormally vivacious on that certain day; for, as anybody in the right mind could imagine, Daphne was normally quite bubbly, but never _abnormally_ cheerful.

"Of course you're not, Daphne," Velma commented, while shaking her head at her friend's immaturity. Daphne only smiled in return, and twisted towards Fred, the muscular blonde, and gazed into his eyes.

"What car do you think Velma should get, Fred?" She quizzically interrogated.

"An Oldsmobile," Fred joked; but he only got a short laugh out of Daphne.

"For real, Fred, you're supposed to have a say in this too," She explained.

"Well, how do you expect me to know what car I think she should get?" Fred exploded; which turned Daphne's smile upside-down. If one had scrutinized her face carefully, one may have been able to see a tear or two. Of course, Fred did not closely examine her face, so he could not see the sadness within. "I'm sorry, Daph, I didn't mean to be rude or anything," But, even if he did not notice the sorrow, he still had a sense that he had hurt her feelings. The apology brought the light back in Daphne's face, and she started to beam all over again.

"It's okay, Freddy," Daphne forgave. The rest of the car ride was silent from then on; everybody was thinking about something-or-another, so they had no reason to talk to each other. Finally, the long drive was over and the gaggle of teenagers were piling out of the car: Shaggy, the hippie, and Scooby, the Great Dane, hopping out of the trunk. Once onto the free range of the classic car dealership, Velma ran to the nearest car that she saw (and liked).

"How about this one, guys?" Velma asked for the others' opinions on the gray 1969 Chevrolet YENKO sitting right in front of her. The rest of the adolescents stared at the hideous car and did not even look up at Velma's joyous face. Daphne turned away and starting browsing through cars on her own. She found a beautiful 1965 Mustang, and hollered to Velma to come over to that location.

"How about this one?" Daphne questioned while pointing the beautiful white convertible.

"Eh, I don't really know," Velma sighed. "It's not really me,"

"Nonsense!" Daphne exclaimed while calling for a salesperson. A short and scrawny man with a receding hairline walked up behind the girls. "Can we test-drive this one, please?"

"Show me your driver's license," The man croaked. Daphne held up her license and the man nodded.

"This car for you?" He asked.

"No, it's for her," Daphne pointed to Velma and Velma blushed; she hated having attention drawn to her.

"She have a license?"

"Learner's Permit, but I'm riding with her,"

"Speaking of which, this is the first time I have seen somebody take a good driver's license picture," He slurred. This time, Daphne was the one who blushed.

"Why, thank you," She annunciated. "Shall we get into the car now?"

"Yeah," The salesperson motioned for Velma and Daphne to get in on opposite sides. They fit comfortably in the long front bench seat of the mustang. Next, the salesperson slid in and closed the door. Velma turned the car on and started to drive. At first, the car drove beautifully; that is, until Velma looked in the rear-view mirror. When she looked in the mirror she witnessed a most horrendous creature. It was a man: but not exactly a man-man. The human was strangely pale and looked a bit green in certain places. Velma gasped and yelled to Daphne.

"Daphne, do you see anything in the back seat?" Daphne whipped her head back and saw the site.

"There's a man!" Daphne answered. "Do you see anything, Mr. Connelly?" That's what his name-tag read. Mr. Connelly looked at the back seat and his expression showed absolutely no change.

"Nope, I don't see nothin'" He answered. Velma and Daphne looked at each other and then at the salesperson and then at each other again.

Simultaneously, the two girls stated, "Well, thanks for the test-drive, Mr. Connelly," and they sprinted out of the mustang to go find the rest of their teenage-mystery solving team. Fred was the first they spotted.

"Fred! You'll never guess what happened!" Velma cried.

"What?"

"T-the car that Velma drove was haunted!" answered a panting Daphne. She did not like to run for long periods of time.

"What do you mean; haunted?" Fred asked, causing Velma and Daphne to tell him the whole story of their experience. When the girls finished, Fred said, his usual, "Looks like there's a mystery here to solve," Right at that precise moment, Shaggy and Scooby walked up to join the crowd.

"Oh, no, Fred don't tell me you said what I think you said," Shaggy hastily assumed.

"Well, we do, Shaggy, we do have a mystery to solve,"

"That's what I was afraid of," Shaggy whispered to the attentive dog standing next to him. "So what are we going to do first?" Shaggy questioned; obviously knowing what came next.

"We're going to split up," Fred clichéd.

"No joke," Shaggy rolled his eyes.

"Shaggy, you Scooby and Velma will drive the car again, and Daphne and I will search for clues in the office,"

"Um, Fred?" Daphne interrogated a little too perkily.

"What, Daph?"

"Velma and I really want to split up together," She happily whispered.

"But-"

"Not today, Freddy," Daphne grinned and turned to Velma. "It looks like we will be searching for clues in the office, Shaggy and Scooby will test drive the car, and Freddy will talk to the salespeople," Velma gave Daphne a questioning look, and the look in Daphne's eyes seemed to say 'I'll explain later.' Fred groaned and trudged away to interview some car-sellers. Shaggy and Scooby seemed rather pleased with their job, because all they needed to do was drive a silly old car; so they blissfully sauntered away, leaving Daphne and Velma alone.

"What'd you want to talk about?" Velma straight-forwardly inquired. Daphne took a deep breath and tried to find the words in her head to describe her dilemma; with no such luck. But, of course, she had a lot of explaining to do.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Buying the Buick**_

**Summary: **For once, Daphne does not split up with Fred, but why the sudden change of heart? Well, to say the least, it has to do with buying a Buick.

**Author's Note: **This is a challenge write. Somebody challenged me to write it, and I got so into it…well, I took the challenge (duh!). Oh, and buying the Buick does not simply mean to "buy a Buick" as in the car; it has another meaning, too.

**Disclaimer: **Me no own-y Scooby Doo.

Daphne pondered about how she should start her confession. She did not even have the slightest clue about what she should tell Velma. She was almost positive that Velma did not suspect anything, either. Therefore, Daphne just started her speech cold turkey. "I think I'm pregnant,"

Velma blinked several times and then responded, "Why?"

"Why, what?" Daphne answered her voice a bit shaky. Velma tried to clear her head of her thoughts and then attempted to figure out what she meant by her remark.

"Why would you think that?" Velma corrected. So much was streaming through her mind at that moment, that Velma could not even hear herself speak.

"I'm late," Daphne rapidly clarified.

"Well, that could mean tons of things, Daphne," Velma convinced. The worst concept about friendship was when a friend became apprehensive.

"Velma," Daphne's voice started to tremble. "I've been late for three weeks now,"

"Have you been sick at all?" Velma inquired, trying to stay logical. "You know; morning sickness?"

"Yeah," Daphne's head hang low; the exact opposite of what it was earlier that day.

"Oh," Velma had no idea what to declare; yet, she still managed to get a peep out. "Does Fred suspect anything?"

Daphne gulped; one of those enormous guzzles that usually only come when one is extremely nervous. "No, I haven't said anything. That's why I didn't want him to come with us,"

"We have to confirm this theory first," Velma stated, not looking Daphne in the eye. She was incredibly disappointed in her friend; she knew that Daphne and Fred had a 'fling' but she never expected that the innocent 'fling' would involve a pregnancy scare. "And solve the mystery, we mustn't forget about the mystery," Velma attempted to take a mind vacation; a trip to a land of mysterious figures in the back of classic cars. Daphne noticed Velma's sudden chance of mood, so she started to sift through papers and look for clues.

"I found something!" Daphne exclaimed while holding up a piece of paper in her left hand. "It's a list of classic cars, and it has two prices next to it,"

"Give it to me," Velma commanded. Daphne handed the clue over to the expert, and Velma analyzed the words. "One price is what they'd get if they sold the car to a classic car collector-" Daphne's face lit up and she interrupted,

"And the other one is of the price it is here!" Daphne and Velma exchanged glances and bolted out of the door to find the others. It took them exactly five minutes to locate Fred, and another two minutes to find Shaggy and Scooby at a nearby restaurant.

"Why were you guys at Speedy Mo's?" Velma questioned. "Instead of helping solve the mystery,"

"Well, we were helping solve the mysterty," Shaggy began. "That is, until that creep showed up in the backseat of the car Scooby and I were driving. Then we jumped out of the moving car and ran all the way to Mo's," Fred and Velma rolled their eyes; Daphne was too busy worrying to notice her friend's idiocy.

"Daphne and I found a clue," Velma nudged Daphne in the ribs, and Daphne shook herself to attention.

"I found one, too," Fred piped up. He pulled a picture from his pocket and let the whole group see. "It's a picture of all the salesmen here,"

"Uhm-hem," Velma coughed and elbowed Fred.

"And saleswomen," Fred swiftly added, so Velma did not do anything terrible to him.

Daphne pointed to a man in the picture. "There's the man who was helping us with the car, Velma," Velma shook her head.

"That's not him; there he is," Velma pointed to another man. Fred snatched the picture back.

"Girls, can't you see?" Fred examined the picture for himself one last time. "Those guys are identical twins,"

"Twins?" Daphne squeaked; uncomfortable with the reference to babies.

"How does that help us solve the mystery?" Velma sternly interjected.

"The ghost in the backseat, didn't he look exactly like the driver?" Fred asked, obviously knowing where this conversation was going.

"Fred! You're a genius!" Velma shouted.

"And I've also got a plan," Fred heard Scooby and Shaggy let out a loud groan. "So here goes: Daphne and I will test drive the car; and Scooby and Shaggy will get ready with the net,"

"The…net?" Shaggy whimpered.

"Yes, Shaggy, the net," Fred placed a supporting hand of Shaggy's shoulder; half for comfort, and half to make sure he didn't make a run for it. "So, when the ghost shows up, Daphne will jump on him and hold him down so he doesn't go anywhere, then I will stop the car, and Shaggy and Scooby will throw the net on him. Velma, you'll be in charge of the salesman in the passenger's seat: just tie him up with rope or something,"

"Wait, Fred?" Daphne whispered. "Can I drive; I'm not really a great tackler," Clearly referring to her condition.

"No, I have to drive," Of course, he really didn't have to drive, he just wanted to. "Let's get this plan started," Daphne clenched her teeth and looked straight at Velma; Velma shrugged and motioned for Daphne to follow Fred.

"Freddy?" Daphne poked him on the shoulder. "Are you sure this plan is going to work?"

"Have my plans ever not worked before?" Fred sounded extremely conceited.

"Fred-dy," Daphne grabbed onto his hand. "Don't be cocky,"

"Daph, I'm serious," He put his arm around her waist, and Daphne smiled.

"Well, I'd have to say about 80 of your plans end disastrously,"

"Come on, give a guy a break here," Fred chuckled. He and Daphne continued to walk hand-in-hand to meet Mr. Connelly.

"Mr. Connelly, may we test drive this car once more?" Daphne asked. Mr. Connelly just nodded and showed the couple into the cherry red convertible. Fred started the car, gave Daphne a squeeze, and pulled out of the parking lot. The three people sat in silence for the first few minutes, until the apparition appeared in the backseat. Daphne noticed the strange man (who still looked like Mr. Connelly) and jumped on top of him. She held him down as Fred pulled the car over. Shaggy and Scooby came dashing to the car and threw the net onto the mysterious figure. Velma was on the other side, trying to capture Mr. Connelly, with no such luck. Mr. Connelly was fleeing the car, and on his way accidentally knocked Velma's glasses off of her head.

"My glasses, I can't see without my glasses," Velma moaned, as she was groping around on the floor trying to find her missing spectacles.

"Freddy! He's getting away!" Daphne exclaimed when she pointed to the escaping Mr. Connelly. Fred noticed this and ran towards the slow-running man. He quickly caught up to the salesman; and snatched him, so he couldn't get away. While this was going on, Daphne was helping Velma find her glasses. Once the eyeglasses were back on Velma's nose, they both ran over to join Fred: Velma with her rope. She tightly tied the rope around Mr. Connelly. Shaggy and Scooby arrived to join the team (with the mysterious figure) a few minutes later. Once the police arrived, it was time for the gang to tell their story.

"Now, the two Connelly brothers are identical twins, as you can see," Fred started telling the story, but then passed the torch to Velma, who began to tell the rest.

"And they wanted to make a profit off of some of the classic cars," Velma took a deep breath. "So, to make sure nobody bought the cars, one of them would dress up as a ghost and sit in the backseat; to make the car seem like it was haunted,"

"And we would have gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids, and that dumb dog!" One of the Connelly brothers screamed while he was getting settled in the back of the police car.

The policemen shook their heads and then thanked, "Thanks for your help," And with that, they drove away.

"How about we celebrate?" Fred pulled Daphne close. "We could go to Rainer," Rainer was the swankiest restaurant in all of Coolsville.

"Good idea, Fred, but first, I have to get my car," Velma smiled and pointed to a 1969 Buick Riviera. Daphne made a disgusted look at Velma; after all, it wasn't the prettiest car in the world, but Velma liked it just the way it was. Once the car was purchased, Mystery Inc. was walking out of the car dealership, when Velma piped up,

"Daphne and I have some errands to run, so we'll meet you at Rainer," Velma shoved Daphne, and Daphne understood what she meant.

"Yeah, Freddy, we'll see you there," Daphne waved while climbing into Velma's new car. "So what are we getting?"

"A pregnancy test,"


	3. Chapter 3

_**Buying the Buick**_

**Summary: **For once, Daphne does not split up with Fred, but why the sudden change of heart? Well, to say the least, it has to do with buying a Buick.

**Author's Note: **This is a challenge write. Somebody challenged me to write it, and I got so into it…well, I took the challenge (duh!). Oh, and buying the Buick does not simply mean to "buy a Buick" as in the car; it has another meaning, too.

**Disclaimer: **Me no own-y Scooby Doo.

Velma and Daphne arrived at Rainer precisely fifteen minutes after the rest of the group. Daphne stuffed her necessity into her purse and ran up to join Fred.

"Hey, Freddy," she greeted while warmly smiling up at him.

"Hi there, Daph," Fred motioned for her to sit down at the table. "What do you want to drink? Oh, wait, don't tell me, I'll order your favorite," Daphne beamed, not thinking of the kind of drink it was. The blonde-haired-blue-eyed waitress, holding a black notebook waltzed over to the gangs' table, pulled out a pen, and took their order, "I'll have a Sam Ash," Fred ordered.

"Can I have a double chocolate fudge malt with extra whipped cream?" Shaggy asked the waitress, who nodded.

"Re Roo," Scooby told the waitress. She then focused her gaze on Velma.

"I'll take strawberry lemonade," Velma refused to corrupt her mind with alcohol. Next, it was Daphne's turn.

"She'll have a Bikinitini," Fred grinned, he knew how much Daphne loved that particular drink.

"No!" Velma and Daphne simultaneously yelled; a bit too loudly. Even though Daphne had trouble turning down her all-time favorite refreshment, she knew she had to: what if she really was pregnant? "I don't…feel…like that today, Fred, I'd prefer a Diet Coke," Daphne was one of those people who favored the taste of diet drinks to regular ones. The waitress bobbed her head and strolled away. Fred spent a few seconds staring at Daphne's face; pondering what was going on in her mind. He knew that she absolutely adored the taste of the infamous Bikinitini. He also knew that Daphne never, ever, worried: she claimed that worry lines were bad for her complexion. Then how come both of those instances seemed to be coming up? She looked like she was about to have a mental breakdown, to say the least. Fred decided to just ignore the sudden personality difference and start a new conversation.

"So, I was thinking," Fred initiated, "We should go to Funland tomorrow,"

"Good idea, Fred, I've wanted to go there ever since I found out that they got a new menagerie," Velma explained, and answered to some blank stares from her friends.

"Menagerie?" Daphne confusedly questioned.

"Small Zoo," Velma mumbled under her breath. Her intelligence seemed too much for the group.

"Oh," Shaggy, Fred, Scooby, and Daphne replied in unison. Scooby's sounding more like 'Roh.' A few minutes later, after the whole gang received their drinks and had had enough time to thoroughly browse through the menus, the waitress returned to take their food orders.

"I would like the Filet Mignon," Daphne responded.

"May I please have Shrimp Stuffed Pork Tenderloin," Velma insisted. She licked her lips, boy did that sound delicious.

"I'll have the Prawn Stuffed Pork Tenderloin," Fred handed his, Velma's, and Daphne's menus to the eager waitress.

"And we'll have one of everything they ordered!" Shaggy squealed, obviously meaning him and Scooby. He rubbed his hands together, fervent to eat the scrumptious dishes he had ordered.

"Daphne, Velma," Fred did not fully feel comfortable asking them the certain question he was going to ask; but he still inquired it anyway. "What did you guys do on your errand?" Daphne's eyes widened, she didn't want Fred to find out at the wrong time: she looked at Velma for support.

"Well, if you must know Fred," Velma bit her lower lip. "We went to get some butter," Yes, butter, that was the best excuse Velma could come up with.

"Why?" Fred appeared utterly befuddled.

"We want to make Rice Crispy Treats," Daphne added. "For our sleepover tonight," Velma cocked her head, for the sleepover had not come up yet in a conversation. Daphne just gave Velma a sort of expression that made her understand. Fred nodded in understanding and the group started to talk about how easy the used car dealership mystery was to solve. When Daphne was explaining how she and Velma found the wondrous sheet of paper, Fred narrowed his eyes. He could not understand what was going on with Daphne. She had never turned down splitting up with him before, there had to be a secret. Finally, the entrees came to the hungry guests. Shaggy and Scooby finished off their plates (and licked them) in a matter of minutes, so they ordered seconds. While, Velma and Fred ate slowly, and Daphne picked at her food; turning green when she actually took a bite.

"Do you know where the bathroom is?" Fred interrogated to the waitress. She pointed to a small alcove sticking off of one of the main dining rooms. He nodded and wandered over to the area. Velma stared at Daphne's uneaten plate of meat and then stated,

"Daphne, I think you should eat something," Daphne shrugged, used her steak knife to cut a piece, and plopped it into her mouth. Instantly, her face was drained of color: then, directly following (a few minutes later) her mouth started to get abnormally moist. Usually, Daphne hypothesized that happened right before she threw up. She pulled the seat out from behind her and raced to the woman's bathroom. Daphne flung open the door, and made it to the white porcelain bowl just in time. It was one of those one-person bathrooms, so she had no way of her privacy being betrayed. Well, except for the unfortunate fact that Fred had just left the men's bathroom. He was happily ambling back to the table when he heard retching noises coming from the ladies restroom. Curious, he cupped his hand over his ear and put it up against the door. Meanwhile, Daphne turned on the faucet and splashed some of the cold water onto her face. It seemed to soothe her, and then she rinsed her mouth out so it did not smell like vomit to her friends at the table. Once through, Daphne emerged from the bathroom, slouching and definitely not nonchalantly. When Fred noticed that it was Daphne who came out of the door, he had mixed feeling of worry and triumph. Worry because, well, why would Daphne be throwing up in the bathroom anyway? And triumph because he had a pretty good idea of what Daphne's issue was.

"Are you okay?" It was the only thing Fred could think of asking.

"I guess all the food I ate got to me," Daphne closed her eyes tightly, and hoped that Fred had not noticed that she had hardly eaten anything.

"Daphne, you didn't eat anything," He was basically sure of his prophecy now.

"Oh, right," Daphne mumbled. "Well then, maybe I just have the flu or something, you know how things like that get around,"

"Uh-huh," Fred furrowed his brows. He didn't like that Daphne was keeping secrets from him.

"Let's go back to the table, okay?" Daphne led Fred into the main dining hall again, and then through the massive crowd of people. When the two arrived, they noticed that Velma had already paid for the bill, and everyone was getting ready to leave.

"Daphne?" Fred commenced. "Do you want to come home with me?"

"No, sorry, Freddy, I'm going home with Velma, remember?" Daphne waved goodbye to Fred and joined Velma in her new car.

"Daphne, we have to take that test,"

"How about we wait until tomorrow?" Daphne innocently suggested.

"The sooner you know, the better, Daphne," Velma enlightened. "We need to solve this mystery,"


	4. Chapter 4

_**Buying the Buick**_

**Summary: **For once, Daphne does not split up with Fred, but why the sudden change of heart? Well, to say the least, it has to do with buying a Buick.

**Author's Note: **This is a challenge write. Somebody challenged me to write it, and I got so into it…well, I took the challenge (duh!). Oh, and buying the Buick does not simply mean to "buy a Buick" as in the car; it has another meaning, too.

**Disclaimer: **Me no own-y Scooby Doo.

The two teenaged girls pulled up in the incredibly long driveway of the Blake Estate. Daphne sauntered to the porch poked her key, yellow with smiley faces on it, into the door; she turned it, and crept into the seemingly-deserted house. She flicked the light switch and the room filled with streams of light beams. The beautiful accented marble floors glistened in the new-found light, while the mahogany banister twinkled with a specific kind of radiance.

"Mom? Dad? Anybody home?" Daphne had no idea why she even bothered calling that anymore; for, her parents never came home. They were always at another house, or business trip, doing something-or-other. Daphne always seemed to be alone, well, except when Fred would come over. Sometimes, he would even spend the night; keeping the poor girl company, obviously. She closed the door, walked into the living room, plopped down on one of the white leather couches, and suppressed a groan. "Veeelmaa! Come in here!" Velma joined Daphne on the couch, and really wanted to start a serious conversation with her friend; she needed answers.

"I'm here, Daphne," Velma placed a protective hand on Daphne's shoulder. "I really need to discuss this whole situation with you,"

"I knew this moment would come sooner or later," Daphne placed her head on a pillow and sighed. "Ask me whatever,"

"How long have you and Fred been…together?" Velma inquired, clearly meaning at which point they began getting intimate.

"A few months," Daphne explained. "Basically when my parents began leaving for extensive periods of time; he'd come to keep me company,"

"Only when your parents were gone?"

"No, even when they were home; he'd climb up the trellis that's next to my window," Daphne reminisced. "My parents never checked on me to say goodnight, so our plan worked out perfectly well," Velma shifted uncomfortably, although she wanted answers that did not mean she was necessarily at ease with the topic of conversation. She figured that since she basically had all the responds needed, she would endeavor to change the subject matter.

"I'm hungry," Velma declared.

"But, Velma, we just had dinner," Daphne cocked her head, baffled.

"Yeah, I know, but I could have eaten more," Velma emerged from her relaxed position in the couch, and led Daphne into the kitchen. Daphne grabbed some pretzels from the top shelf in the pantry, poured them into a pink plastic bowl, and then led Velma back into the living room. She set the bowl on the coffee table and motioned for Velma to eat a few. Velma kindly took the invitation and stuffed some of the salty snacks into her mouth. "So, when are we going to take that test?"

"Later, I'm not in the mood right now," Daphne moaned. She did not think she would ever be in the mood.

Meanwhile, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby sat in silence while driving back to their homes. "I wonder what Daphne and Velma are doing right now," Fred thought out loud.

"Yeah, like, me too, I guess," Shaggy agreed. Shaggy really did not care the slightest, but he settled so he would not start a quarrel.

"Why don't we find out?" Fred smirked; the man had a plan.

"Rhat Ro Rou Rean?" Scooby interrogated.

"I mean we should have a stakeout," Fred began while turning to look at the puzzled faces of Scooby and Shaggy. "At Daphne's house,"

"But, why, Freddy?" Shaggy did not know where Fred was going with his preparation.

"I want to know what's going on with Daphne,"

"Suit yourself," Shaggy twisted to Scooby and asked him if he wanted to join in the festivities. Scooby nodded, and then Shaggy turned back to Fred. "We're in,"

"Wonderful," Fred's voice began to trail off as they made a U-turn and drove in the direction of Daphne's house.

"Come on, let's watch a movie," Daphne surfed the channels, to find out if a good movie appeared to be playing. "How about the Graduate?"

"Sounds good," Velma situated herself on one of the chairs and became contented. The red-haired girl set down the remote and lay down on the very same couch she lounged in before. The two girls were completely unaware that two sly gentlemen, and their dog, were rummaging around outside, trying to find a position that let them listen in. They sat in the middle of one of the many bushes on the Blake property and cupped their hands over their ears so they could hear what was going on.

"They're watching the Graduate," Fred contemplated. "Absolutely no conversation regarding Daphne's issue,"

"Fred?" Shaggy piped up, while lowering the hand that was cupped over his left ear. "What makes you think she has an issue?"

"Just trust me on this, okay?" Shaggy nodded, and quickly got back to his intense work. Both men (and the dog) waited against the walls for over an hour, until the film ended. Then, the action started up again.

"I think it's time, Velma," Daphne took a deep breath; knowing that the time had come for her to figure out the truth. Outside, Fred mouthed 'Time for what?' to Shaggy, while Shaggy shook his head.

"Alright," Velma snatched Daphne's green purse and headed upstairs to Daphne's room. Daphne skulked afterwards at a snail's pace.

"Rere rar rey roing?" Scooby questioned. Both Shaggy and Fred shrugged and then bolted to the sidewalk to try to solve the problem. They spotted Velma and Daphne in a lavender bedroom on the second floor. Fred recognized the room as Daphne's.

"Come on," Fred motioned. "I know how to get us up there," He smiled and led the boy and his dog to the side of the house. There, he explained how the red rose trellis would lead exactly up to the window of Daphne's bedroom. "Shaggy, the trellis is only big enough to fit one person, so I'll trust you to tell me exactly what's going on,"

"Why don't you do it yourself?" He asked, not really wanting to venture out on his own.

"Daphne will know if it's me," Fred clarified. "Go on, Shaggy,"

"Fine," Shaggy started his ascent to Daphne's window, and held on for dear life. Once he made it to the top, he witnessed an empty room. "Nobody's in there!" Shaggy yelled down to Fred.

"Shhh, a little quieter there, Shaggy," Fred whispered up to him. "We don't want to get caught,"

"Okay, Okay," He gazed into the room, waiting for something to happen. Finally, Velma emerged from the attached bathroom with a worried look plastered on her face. "Velma has entered the building!"

"What about Daphne?" Fred became impatient, he urgently needed to ascertain Daphne's problem.

"Nope, like, I think she's in the bathroom," Shaggy continued to stare through the window and at Velma.

"Velma! Come in here!" Shaggy heard Daphne call while Velma rushed into the bathroom. "Fred? Do you know of a way to get to the bathroom?"

"I don't know, but if we can get inside her house I bet there'd be some way to find out what's happening," Fred elucidated. "Shaggy, open the window and get inside, then report back to me once you get some answers,"

"You're the boss, Freddy," Shaggy attempted to unlock the window, and on the third try, he succeeded. He scrambled through the window and onto the plush carpet of Daphne's bedroom. It was not familiar to Shaggy, for he had never been in said bedroom. He stood still, inhaled deeply, and examined the location he seemed to be in. He crept over to the bathroom door, and pushed his ear up against it.

"Velma?" Daphne sniffled from inside pink-themed bathroom. "What does a plus mean?" Shaggy heard Velma knocking objects off the counter to locate a certain package. Once sited, Velma scrutinized the labeling of the white package with blue words.

"Daph?" Velma bit her lower lip. "Why don't you see for yourself," She held the box right in front of Daphne's face so she could easily read it. Velma observed that Daphne's appearance instantly drained of color. Then she slowly dropped the package and sat down on the closed porcelain toilet. Of course, Shaggy did not have the slightest clue as to what was going on, so he roamed back to the window Fred was hanging out of. He looked out the window until he found Fred.

"I have no idea what they're talking about, Freddy," Shaggy elaborated. Fred shook his head in despair, and continued the conversation. Although, if Shaggy had indeed stayed at his position pushed up against the door, he would have figured out what Daphne's secret was.

"I hate to say it, Daphne," Velma gulped; she could not believe she was saying this. "But, you kind of had it coming," She bit her tongue after realizing what she had actually said, though.

"That may be true, Velma," Daphne swallowed the lump that had gathered in her throat. "But no sixteen year old girl realizes that she could end up pregnant," Daphne felt a warm tear roll down her cheek. "Like me,"

"Come on, let's get out of this bathroom," Velma smiled, clearly trying to cheer Daphne up. Daphne lifted her head and trudged after Velma. When Shaggy realized that the two girls were emerging from the walls of the bathroom, he rapidly did the only thing he could think of; he hid under the bed. "How do you feel?"

"The best I could feel after such a traumatizing experience," Daphne lay down on her bed and started to softly bawl. Velma looked down on her friend, wondering what she could do at such a point. She scooted over to Daphne and whispered calming thoughts into her ear. Shaggy took this moment to scurry out of Daphne's room and jump onto the rose trellis. Unfortunately for him and Fred, right at the moment that Shaggy fell onto the fragile trellis, it broke into several pieces, pushing Fred and Shaggy to the grassy floor below.

"SHAG-GY!" Fred's face appeared red with anger. This was his chance to figure out the secret.

"Like, shut up, Fred," Shaggy murmured; his head pounding from the fall.

"No, you shut up, Nor-ville!" Fred smirked; he thought he had the best comeback to call Shaggy by his real name.

"You shut up, Fred-erick!" Two could play at that game. Fred searched his mind for an even better retort, but instead of continuing the petty brawl; he observed Daphne and Velma walking down the stairs.

"Shaggy! Look!" He pointed at the two figures descending the stairs. The two men watched Daphne and Velma sit down on the couch and start to gossip.

"I'm sorry I took out of you and Shaggy's 'alone time' at the mystery today," Daphne apologized.

"What do you mean?" Velma blushed.

"Come on, Velms, I know you like him," Daphne grinned, which looked quite odd giving the fact that tears still streamed down her face.

"I do not!" Velma screeched. "And even if I did, I would prefer it if you would not make my infatuation public," Daphne nodded. That was as much of a confession as Daphne needed. Outside of the house, Shaggy sat there, eyes bugged out, dumbfounded. After all, he had had a crush on Velma for a long time, and he was very pleased that Velma had basically professed her love for him.

"Did you hear that, Fred?" Shaggy squealed. "She likes me!" Fred looked at his friend and then chuckled at his childishness.

"Yeah, I heard, congrats, man," Fred patted Shaggy on the back.

"Maybe Daphne will admit she likes you, and we can go on double dates!" Shaggy seemed so genuine in his excitement that Fred laughed once again. What Shaggy did not know would not hurt him. A few more hours passed by, but nothing more of Daphne's issue was discussed: Most likely to take her mind off of it. The night was so long-drawn that both Shaggy and Fred had fallen asleep on Daphne's lawn. It was One-o-clock in the morning, and all of Mystery Inc. was fast asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**_Buying the Buick_**

__

**Summary: **For once, Daphne does not split up with Fred, but why the sudden change of heart? Well, to say the least, it has to do with buying a Buick.

**Author's Note: **This is a challenge write. Somebody challenged me to write it, and I got so into it…well, I took the challenge (duh!). Oh, and buying the Buick does not simply mean to "buy a Buick" as in the car; it has another meaning, too.

**Disclaimer: **Me no own-y Scooby Doo.

**Author's Note #2: **Okay, so I was just trying to figure out what state Coolsville is in…and I decided upon Indiana. You know, they solve mysteries, like Indiana Jones? Well, I don't really know. That's just the state that I thought was the most logical. At least in my little world. It's called Melanieland!! Ha. Ha. Ha. I know, I'm so hilarious!

Fred opened one eye and gazed up into the sky. The blazing sun scorched his eyeball and caused him to scoot closer and cuddle up to the warm figure sleeping next to him. Of course, be believed this figure to be Daphne.

"Like, Fred, could you stop that please?" The figure mumbled while sitting up straight. "It's making me uncomfortable. All night, Fred, you were doing that all night,"

"I was?" Fred was positively unaware of that specific fact.

"Yeah, you even bit my ear once," Shaggy began to stroke his seemingly injured ear.

"Sorry, I thought you were somebody else…" Fred looked around, and finally remembered where he was. He rubbed his head, which was pounding, due to the fact that he had just slept on the grass. "Shaggy?"

"Mmhmm?"

"We were supposed to go to Funland with the girls today, right?" Fred slightly remembered bringing up the said topic at dinner the other night, but he could have been dreaming.

"Yeah," Shaggy turned to the sleeping dog next to him, shook the animal awake and told him of the Funland plan. The two men attempted to stand up, with hardly any luck. Their whole bodies ached and they felt like they had just been hit by an enormous monster truck. Inside the house, life was not much better. Velma had awoken to gagging noises coming from Daphne in the bathroom. Not exactly canaries, eh? She attempted to go back to sleep, but the noises just continued.

"Are you okay, Daphne?" Velma called. Daphne gave no reply, but the retching sound became persistent. Velma pulled the blanket off of her warm body and began knocking on the door. "Need me to get you anything?"

"No, no, I'm-" Daphne swallowed some of the substance that was creeping up her throat. "Good," Just as Velma was about to swing open the door and waltz into the bathroom to join her friend, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it for you, Daphne," Velma descended the stairs to answer the door. Once she opened the door and saw Fred, she started to panic, hoping that he would not hear Daphne from upstairs. "What do you want, Fred?"

"We were supposed to go to Funland, Shaggy and I came to pick you up," Fred reminded, hoping that Velma did not suspect that he and Shaggy had been spying on her all night long.

"Oh," Velma gazed at the stairs, wishing that Daphne would join her and Fred. "Right. I'll go get Daphne," Fred nodded as Velma walked up the stairs and into Daphne's room. "Daphne! Hurry and get ready! We're going to Funland!"

"Now?" Daphne asked. Her hair was messy, unkempt and somewhat wet, a distinct line of a watery substance surrounding her mouth.

"Here, I'll help you," Velma snatched a wash cloth, dipped it into warm water, and began to gently blot Daphne's face. "Brush your hair, I'll go and pick out your outfit," Daphne nodded in agreement while Velma sauntered over to Daphne's closet, once she opened it, she was aghast that so many clothes could fit into such a small space. She browsed through the clothes, and picked out the most humble-looking of the bunch. Daphne emerged from the bathroom, changed into her clothes, and applied her make-up all in twenty minutes; which was a new record. Both girls went downstairs to join Fred, who was ever so patiently waiting so he could go to Funland. Finally, the four teenagers and the dog were in the car heading to the amusement park.

"How are you today, Daphne?" Fred inquired, obviously not knowing what was wrong with the poor Daphne: no thanks to Fred, mind you. Daphne slowly closed her eyes and sighed, then replied with a shaky voice.

"Y-yeah, I'm just so excited to go on the double black diamond!" Daphne attempted to actually sound excited, which actually partly worked. The double black diamond was the biggest and most intense roller coaster in all of the Midwest. There were loops, drops, double loops, double drops, and it went really fast, too. Since Daphne loved thrill rides, her favorite ride just happened to be the double black diamond, closely followed by the tunnel of love, of course.

"I'd forgotten about that, Daph," Fred had some genuine excitement in **his** voice. "I love that ride!" Daphne smiled and then gazed out of the large crystal-clear window in front of her. She thought about how she and Fred were not even technically a couple yet. He had not asked her out or anything, yet…she was pregnant. She even hypothesized that the next week in school would be rough. Fred always flirted with other girls, most likely because Daphne and his relationship was kept secret. Daphne did not want to see the father of her child falling in love with another woman. That issue, however, brought up another issue. Daphne knew she had to keep the child, if she really was pregnant. Sometimes, those take-home tests proved false. She needed to make a doctor's appointment; just to confirm certain assumptions.

"What are we going to do first, gang?" Fred questioned, hoping the words 'double,' 'black,' and 'diamond,' would follow in the answer.

"Eat!" Shaggy and Scooby yelled from the back of the van.

"Didn't you guys already eat breakfast?" Fred raised his eyebrows.

"No, we didn't, Fred, we were with you all morning, remember?" Shaggy answered in a stern tone. Daphne gave Fred a questioning look, wondering what Shaggy, Fred, and Scooby were doing that was so important that they had not eaten breakfast.

"What were you guys doing?" Daphne turned toward Shaggy and Scooby, hoping they would answer honestly.

"Like," Shaggy looked to Fred for help in answering Daphne's question. "We were just hanging out,"

"Oh," Daphne was not satisfied with her answer, but she had too many of her own problems to work out. Maybe she would talk to Fred on the Tunnel of Love about making their relationship more serious; just to take some precautions. Daphne closed her eyes, to rest her overly tired eyeballs, and felt another pang of nausea coming about. She quickly picked up her limp hands and placed them over her stomach; she rubbed, squeezed tightly, and did everything she could think of to stop the pain. Unfortunately, her attempts did not work, so she ended up throwing up all over the front of the Mystery Machine. Both Velma and Fred stared at Daphne for a brief moment before fishing napkins out of the glove compartment to absorb the mess. Shaggy and Scooby were too busy talking about what to eat at Funland to notice Daphne's sudden crisis.

"Daphne? Are you sure you're okay?" Fred placed his hand on Daphne's shoulder and tried to soothe her so she did not become sick again.

"I guess I'm just car sick," Daphne lied, hoping Fred would not catch her red-handed.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing that you weren't sick until the last leg of the journey," Fred stated. "We're here," Daphne sighed and followed the rest of the gang out of the parked car. Her mood instantly changed, however, when she looked into the theme park to see all the thrill rides and hear the children screaming.


	6. Chapter 6

**_Buying the Buick_**

**Summary: **For once, Daphne does not split up with Fred, but why the sudden change of heart? Well, to say the least, it has to do with buying a Buick.

**Author's Note: **This is a challenge write. Somebody challenged me to write it, and I got so into it…well, I took the challenge (duh!). Oh, and buying the Buick does not simply mean to "buy a Buick" as in the car; it has another meaning, too.

**Disclaimer: **Me no own-y Scooby Doo.

Velma swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat. She hated when the gang dragged her to amusement parks. She would much rather be sitting home, doing something of intellectual value. And another thing, Velma did not like roller coasters, sure, she would go on them if everyone else was, but surely she would not be the only one waiting in line for 'The Decimator' which was another one of the parks' biggest attractions. The gang waited in line for their tickets and waltzed into the entrance of Funland. Daphne looked up at Fred and smiled, happily awaiting their traditional ride on the Tunnel of Love. 

"C'mon, let's get in line for Double Black Diamond," Fred suggested. He grabbed Daphne's hand and quickly led her into the queue line. Shaggy, Scooby, and Velma followed closely behind the couple. Once they were in line, Velma perused the rules for the ride, like she always did to pass the time. One in particular regulation caught Velma's eye, she moved closer to the sign, looked back at Daphne, who was cheerfully chatting with Fred, and read it again. The sign read: Expectant mothers should not ride; serious injuries to the unborn child may result. Velma's mouth formed into a slight circle as she called Daphne over to join her.

"Daphne? I think you should read this warning sign," Velma whispered so Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby would not hear her. Daphne scanned all of the words, shrugged, and went back to Fred. "DAPH-NE! I think we should go get something to eat, after all, you don't really like this ride, do you?"

"Yeah, actually, It's my favorite ride," Daphne raised one eyebrow. Velma rolled her eyes and pulled Daphne aside to explain it to her verbally.

"Daphne, you can't go on this ride, you're pregnant, and it's not good for you," Velma had to spell everything out for her friend. Daphne nodded and then gazed back at Fred.

"How am I going to tell Fred, he knows it's my favorite?" Daphne whined, she was definitely not ready to tell Fred of the dilemma.

"Don't worry, I'll cover for you," Daphne took a deep breath, hoping that Velma spoke the truth. "Fred, Daphne was just telling me about how hungry she was, and since, as you know, she didn't eat much last night, I thought that maybe she and I could skip this ride and grab a hamburger or something,"

"Can't she wait until after this ride?" Daphne's stomach lurched, she had to tell him, but she just could not bring herself to do it.

"I can't, Freddy, I feel faint," Daphne explained: Although, instead of feeling faint, she felt nauseas.

"Okay, Shaggy, Scooby, and I will meet you girls at the Tunnel of Love, okay?" Both Velma and Daphne nodded and then walked away together.

"Hopefully I'll be able to go on the Tunnel of Love," Daphne hoped. She followed Velma to one of the benches near the entrance of the Tunnel of Love ride.

"When are you going to tell Fred?" Velma questioned, wondering for herself as well.

"Once I figure out the truth, I'm making a doctor's appointment,"

"Do you want me to come with you-for moral support?" Velma lifted Daphne's chin to be level headed.

"Thanks Velma, but that won't be necessary, I've got to do this on my own," Daphne leaned against the arm rest of the bench and sighed. Approximately thirty minutes passed until Shaggy, Scooby, and Fred were seen emerging from the exit of the Double Black Diamond.

"How was the food, Daphne?" Shaggy asked.

"Delicious," Daphne's voice told otherwise, though. She was not in the mood.

"Shall we get in line, gang?" Fred inquired while gazing into the short line for the Tunnel of Love. The whole group of teenagers stood up from their posts and followed Fred into the line. Daphne squeezed past multiple other people in the line to ask the attendant a certain question.

"Can people go on this ride if they're pregnant?" Daphne straight-forwardly interrogated. The attendant looked up from his Sports Illustrated magazine and cocked his head at Daphne.

"Are YOU pregnant?" Daphne did not know what to say, she could lie, but then again, that seemed unnecessary.

"Um…yeah," Daphne did feel uncomfortable discussing her own private issues with a ride operator. But then again, it is not like she would ever see him again.

"It's a slow ride, you should be okay," The attendant droned. Daphne squeezed her way back into the crowd of teenagers she had come to the theme park with.

"Where'd you go, Daphne?" Fred questioned. Daphne's eyes widened, but then, she knew that Fred would believe anything that she told him, so she calmed down a bit.

"Just checking to see how long the line is," Daphne answered confidently, so Fred would easily believe her.

"How long is it?"

"Not long," Daphne seriously hoped that the line was not long; she had not paid much attention to the numerous bodies she had to squeeze past. Luckily for Daphne, the line actually was not long, and the gang made it up to the front in only about five minutes. Daphne and Fred stood next to each other, patiently waiting for the next boat. The conductor looked Daphne in the eye and gave a warm-hearted,

"Congratulations, you two," Daphne took a deep breath through her nose, she knew why the operator was congratulating her and Fred, but Fred sure did not. She prayed that he would not ask. Instead of asking the ride attendant, once the couple was on the ride, Fred asked Daphne.

"He must congratulate all the happy couples on the ride; at least, that's what I think," Daphne knew that she had come up with one of the worst excuses of her career, but, then again, Fred would never think to doubt her.

"Oh," Fred gazed into Daphne's eyes. "That's nice," He wrapped his arm around Daphne's shoulder and she laid her head down on his. Then, she remembered that she had important issues to discuss with Fred.

"Fred?" Daphne let the courage build. "How come our relationship is secret?"

"Because we don't want anybody to sabotage it, we want to stay together for a long time, right?

"Freddy, nobody will try to sabotage our relationship! Who in the right mind would do such a thing?" By this time, Daphne was starting to yell.

"Somebody could,"

"Yes, Freddy, they COULD, that doesn't mean they will; and how are we going to know if we don't take any chances?" Daphne took a breath; she resented herself for getting mad at Fred.

"Sometimes chances aren't good for a relationship,"

"WHAT RELATIONSHIP?!" Daphne ferociously took Fred's arm and took it off of her shoulder. "Technically we don't HAVE a relationship," Daphne felt tears start to stream down her face; obviously because of her sudden mood swing.

"We have a relationship, it's just not public," Fred was starting to get quite scared of Daphne.

"And why is that, Freddy? So you can just flirt with every single girl you see without feeling guilty?" Fred's face started to turn red; he was furious.

"Well, gee, Daphne, if you REALLY think that I'm such a no-good two-timing jerk, then why don't you just break up with me?"

"Fred, I CAN'T break up with you, that involves a couple who are actually TOGETHER," Daphne rolled her eyes. "Which we aren't,"

"I thought I was doing what was best for you and me," Fred quietly stated. "But now I know that the best thing is for us to see other people," When Daphne heard Fred say that, her heart sank, Fred couldn't see other people, she needed him; truly, desperately needed him.

"Not that we were ever actually seeing each other in the first place," Daphne knew it was her hormones talking, not her. "You know, I bet every night, after you and I would see each other, you'd go over to one of your disgusting jock friends and tell him of all the fun we had…and then you guys would laugh and think of other ways to score,"

"Well, if you think I'm that kind of a person, Daphne, I guess we should just…stop being friends, then,"

"I'm glad you see it my way," Although it wasn't her way at all, it wasn't anybody's way; it was just a failed conversation.

When the two emerged from the exit of the Tunnel of Love, Shaggy, Scooby, and Velma were waiting for them on the bench.

"Come on, Velma, let's go home," Daphne turned away from Fred and crossed her arms.

"But, like, Daphne, we all came in one car," Shaggy explained.

"I'd forgotten," Daphne gave Fred a death stare and then twisted back to Shaggy. "Mind if I sit in the back with you and Scooby?" Shaggy shook his head, wondering why Daphne did not want to take her usual position next to Fred.

"You heard the woman," Fred sternly added. "Let's go," Daphne did not enjoy sitting in the back with Shaggy and Scooby, and Velma did not enjoy the fact that she didn't get to see her zoo. Although, what Daphne didn't know, was that things were not going to get better for her-in the next few days, that is.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Buying the Buick**_

**Summary: **For once, Daphne does not split up with Fred, but why the sudden change of heart? Well, to say the least, it has to do with buying a Buick.

**Author's Note: **This is a challenge write. Somebody challenged me to write it, and I got so into it…well, I took the challenge (duh!). Oh, and buying the Buick does not simply mean to "buy a Buick" as in the car; it has another meaning, too.

**Disclaimer: **Me no own-y Scooby Doo.

Daphne groaned and rolled out of bed. Surprisingly, she was not nauseas. Daphne closed her eyes and took deep breaths, trying to calm herself after remembering her fight with Fred. She opened her closet, grabbed the first outfit she laid her eyes on, and attempted to put it on. Unfortunately, the outfit did not exactly fit. Daphne sighed, gave up, and resorted to her pajama drawer. She pulled on her purple stretch pants, and purple-and-lime-green tank top that matched. Instead of nausea, Daphne was actually quite hungry. She popped a pop tart in the toaster, poured cereal into a bowl, and put some canned soup in the microwave. After finishing her enormous breakfast, Daphne climbed into her car and drove off to school. When she made it to the front door of Coolsville High, she noticed her friend, Michelle Dowell, waiting for her.

"Daphne?" Michelle squeaked, dark brown hair flowing in the wind. "Are those pajamas?"

"Yeah," Daphne tried to come up with an explanation. Michelle waited for Daphne to continue with her story, but when that did not happen, Michelle spoke up,

"Well, why are you wearing them?" Michelle excitedly anticipated her reply. Daphne pulled her friend by the shoulder and whispered the answer into her right ear. "You and Fred?" Daphne slowly nodded, tears brimming her eye. She did not want to explain the fight, so she just walked away from her friend right then. Michelle watched Daphne walk away in her purple pajamas and then she turned to the freshman standing next to her and whispered something in his ear. "Fred Jones…knocked up his girlfriend," The young boy's eyes widened as he began to pass the message on. Although, Michelle just left out one detail…who the girlfriend was.

"Velma," Daphne began as she approached her best friend. "Do we have that peer counseling thing at lunch today?" Daphne and Velma were leaders of a peer counseling group made up of freshman girls. The juniors actually liked the contact with the younger girls though; it was basically just a gossip session.

"Yeah," Velma answered. "Do you have a topic?"

"Yep, from my own personal experience," Daphne explained. She casually walked away from her friend and made her way over to her own locker. On her way, she noticed Fred, walking hand-in-hand with jet black-haired Larissa Bristow. Larissa was probably the most stuck-up, self-centered, vain girl that had ever roamed the Coolsville High halls. Daphne eyed Larissa suspiciously and continued on to her locker. She noticed a sign taped to the front of it: Cutest Couple Contest-Poll Closed by the End of the School Day. Daphne ripped the poster off and threw it onto the floor beneath her.

"Daphne! Wait!" Velma called after Daphne. "Why are you wearing pajamas?" Velma sighed; she knew Daphne had not heard her. She turned to go to her first class, and on the way she saw Larissa and Fred, getting quite cozy. She grabbed Fred's hand, and pulled him aside.

"Fred, what happened to you and Daphne?" Velma asked.

"Daphne who?" Fred walked away from the dumbfounded Velma and went back to join Larissa. Velma shook her head, wondering what had happened to the two lovebirds, and continued on her way. A tall senior was the next person to walk up to Velma.

"Did you hear about Fred and his girlfriend?"

"Which girlfriend," Velma muttered.

"Larissa, I think,"

"I don't think so," Velma responded, actually curious to figure out some new gossip.

"Well, he knocked her up,"

"Did he really?" Velma knew this rumor was not true; Larissa had nothing to do with it. Although, she was glad that it was Larissa's name being gossiped about and not Daphne's. Velma came to her History classroom, sat down and thought. She thought about everything going on in Daphne's life. How hard it must be for her, and how Fred knew absolutely nothing about what was going on.

Daphne sat in her English classroom, dazed. She had no idea what the teacher, Mrs. Byers, was talking about: Something about predicates, or subjects…or something.

"How do you diagram this sentence, Daphne," the teacher questioned. Daphne looked up into the eyes of her teacher. The question had just gone in one ear and out the other. She did not know how to answer it, for she didn't know what the question _was._

"Um…" Daphne attempted to formulate the perfect answer for the question that she did not know. "Direct Object?"

"Daphne, next time try paying attention in class," Mrs. Byers reprimanded. Daphne was not sure what else happened in English that day; it was like everybody who talked to her was an adult on the Charlie Brown cartoon: Just mumbling and not making any words. During break, Daphne decided to vote on the Cutest Couple contest. Obviously, she voted for herself and Fred. Clearly, though, Larissa and Fred were the winners. She spotted Shaggy writing down a vote on a ballot card, so she went over to talk to him.

"Who are you going to vote for, Shaggy?" Daphne inquired.

"Me and Velma," Shaggy replied. "I mean, now that I know she likes me…"

"How do you know she likes you?" Maybe there were rumors going around about Velma and Shaggy.

"Fred and I were spying on you the other night," Shaggy slipped. Daphne's mind started to race. What if Fred knew? How come they got into fight if he knew?

"Oh," Daphne waltzed away from Shaggy and joined Velma in the cafeteria. She was already sitting with Molly, Rebecca, and Heather.

"Hey, Daphne!" Rebecca greeted happily. "Remember…have safe lunch…use condiments!" That phrase was one of the peer group's inside jokes together.

"What are we going to talk about today?" questioned Molly.

"The consequences of pre-martial sex," Daphne straight-forwardly stated.

"Why?"

"It's important to know," Daphne answered. "Now, as you know, you could get pregnant,"

"Which is not good," Velma added, and she smiled at Daphne.

"Especially if you get in a fight with your boyfriend," Daphne spoke the truth.

"How do YOU know, Daphne?" asked Heather, knowing that there was more to this conversation than Daphne was telling.

"Well, I just thought…" Daphne did not feel comfortable discussing her issues with a freshman. "I'll be right back," Although, Daphne would not be right back, instead, she drove home and lay in bed clearing her mind of the day. She hated thinking about how happy Larissa and Fred were together, and she hated thinking that Fred might have known her secret before the fight. She basically hated the way her life was turning out.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Buying the Buick**_

**Summary: **For once, Daphne does not split up with Fred, but why the sudden change of heart? Well, to say the least, it has to do with buying a Buick.

**Author's Note: **This is a challenge write. Somebody challenged me to write it, and I got so into it…well, I took the challenge (duh!). Oh, and buying the Buick does not simply mean to "buy a Buick" as in the car; it has another meaning, too.

**Disclaimer: **Me no own-y Scooby Doo.

**Author's Note:** Okay, this chapter was like…inspired by real life. Basically. Because during basketball practice (yes, I play basketball) and my friend walked up to me and asked me for ways to cover up her hickey; which this guy that thinks I have ADD gave her. Anyway, that's how I got the idea for this chapter. But my friend had to tell the coach that she "fell." Pathetic if you ask me. Anyway, love to my beautiful reviewers! Mwah!

Contrary to her current feelings, Daphne realized that she needed to go to school. After such a traumatizing experience the day before, she really would have preferred to just sit home and mope. Luckily, she only had one class with Fred, that class being History. And Health, but she could easily just skip that one. She had come up with an excellent plan the night before; she'd just delay time by going to the bathroom. Of course she still had to survive lunch, which was two periods before History. History was her best subject, so she got the privilege to take a Senior class instead of a regular Junior one. She could add the details to her plan during that free time, though. She pulled the door to her green convertible open and sat down in the car. She stepped on the pedal and drove toward her school. On the way, she noticed a certain figure in her rearview mirror, running to catch up to her. When that person got closer, she recognized it to be Shaggy.

"Wait up, Daph!" Shaggy yelled, out of breath from running so fast. One might think he'd be used to it by now, though. Daphne pulled the car to a halt and motioned for Shaggy to climb in.

"How come you're not driving yourself?" Daphne questioned, hoping Shaggy would not notice her pajamas and question her about that.

"My car broke down, and Fred decided he'd rather give that new girlfriend of his a ride, instead of me,"

"I'm sorry, Shaggy," Daphne sincerely stated. The two didn't really talk much during the drive, and just kept their eyes on the road until pulling into the parking lot of Coolsville High. Shaggy and Daphne didn't have any classes together because Daphne took honors classes, and Shaggy just took the standard courses. He was also one grade ahead of the girls.

"I'll see you at lunch," Daphne bid. Shaggy licked his lips, obviously due to the reference to food. The first part of the day passed by unnoticed. More like a blur, where everybody around Daphne moved, but Daphne never actually acknowledged their presences at all. She decided to be more extroverted at lunch, though. She placed a sandwich, soda, and dessert on her tray and headed over to sit with Shaggy and Velma. She didn't feel like talking to Michelle, so instead she just wanted to sit with some true friends.

"Hey, Daphne!" Shaggy and Velma greeted simultaneously.

"Hello there, guys," Daphne set her tray down and sat in one of the orange cafeteria chairs. The three shared jokes, laughs, and food for most of the lunch. Surprisingly, Daphne was the one eating most of the food; instead of Shaggy, that is. After she had finished her plate, she started on Shaggy's. Shaggy, of course, got quite made because he was hungry, too. But, Daphne didn't care and still continued to eat Shaggy's food. Eventually, lunch was over, and left Daphne with a sense of security, knowing that she had friends to turn to when things got rough.

"What class do you have next, Shaggy?" Daphne inquired.

"College Counseling," Shaggy groaned. He already knew that he was going to go to the Coolsville Community College to improve his grades; he did not necessarily need the counseling. "Luckily, I have it with Fred, though," Daphne rolled her eyes, if she was in Shaggy's position, she would most definitely not be lucky. "I'll just probably be complaining to him about Fatty McFatPants over here ate all of my lunch,"

"Shaggy," Daphne sternly added. "That was completely un-called for,"

"Like, tell that to my grumbling stomach," Shaggy placed both hands on his stomach and tried to feel the slight vibration. Daphne shook her head and headed to Science. Once again, Science was a blur; but this time Daphne was contemplating what to do about History. She came up with the idea to spend ten of the forty-five minutes in the bathroom, but she couldn't think of anything to do for the next thirty-five. Once Science was over, she felt a sudden knot tie in her stomach, she hadn't been that nervous since…ever. She took her usual seat next to the door, and prayed that Fred would not take **his** usual seat adjacent to her. Much to Daphne's dismay, Fred was one of the last people to walk into class, and it was either sit next to Daphne Blake or sit in the front row in full view of the teacher. Obviously, Fred chose Daphne. Following the chime of the bell, Daphne raised her hand and asked permission to go to the restroom. She turned the corner of the hallway and walked into the Girls' Bathroom. Daphne opened the door to find none other than Larissa standing in front of the mirror, gently applying make-up. Larissa noticed Daphne and greeted her.

"Hello, Daphne," She began. "Do you know how to cover up a hickey?" Daphne raised her eyebrow.

"Fred gave it to you, didn't he?" She monotonously droned.

"Yeah, he did," Larissa explained. "I don't want anyone else to know, though,"

"Why not?" Daphne questioned. She didn't know Larissa was the kind of person…

"I have a completely clean reputation to hold up," Larissa told Daphne. "How are you, Daphne? I thought since you and Fred are such good friends, she would at least talk about you a little,"

"…but he doesn't?" Daphne pondered the fact that Fred never spoke of her; and maybe it was for the better.

"No, but he talks about Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby all the time,"

"How serious are you guys anyway?" Daphne couldn't help but ask the one dreaded question that had been on her mind for a long time.

"Serious enough to get hickeys," Larissa started. "But definitely not serious enough to get like…STDs or something. Like I said before, I have a clean reputation to up hold,"

"You guys aren't completely involved with each other, then?" Daphne thought she read Larissa's hint correctly, but it couldn't hurt to check.

"No, we most definitely aren't," Daphne felt a lump that had formed in her throat dissolve, and she felt much happier.

"Well, Fred and I…most definitely aren't friends any more," Daphne sadly hung her head low, aware of how pathetic she looked. She felt strange letting all of her issues out with Fred's current girlfriend, but at the same time, she felt better. The weight was off of her back. But the only other thing she was carrying wasn't exactly on her back.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Buying the Buick**_

**Summary: **For once, Daphne does not split up with Fred, but why the sudden change of heart? Well, to say the least, it has to do with buying a Buick.

**Author's Note: **This is a challenge write. Somebody challenged me to write it, and I got so into it…well, I took the challenge (duh!). Oh, and buying the Buick does not simply mean to "buy a Buick" as in the car; it has another meaning, too.

**Disclaimer: **Me no own-y Scooby Doo.

Weeks had passed with the same usual drill. Fred and Daphne never spoke to each other and Velma and Shaggy still wanted to know why. Velma had her birthday and her party, which consisted of Daphne and Fred childishly ignoring each other the entire time. Although on this day, everything was to change; it was October 8, the day Daphne had her doctor's appointment. Velma was the first to approach her that morning; after all, she was the only one who knew about the appointment.

"Daphne? How'd it go?" Velma honestly inquired. Daphne sighed before beginning her tale.

"There were people there, happily anticipating the results of their tests, or the pictures coming from their ultrasounds: people who really wanted this kid. And then there was me, sitting there all alone, staring into space, hoping that nobody noticed how young I looked. And that people didn't realize that I didn't have a wedding ring around my finger. And I had to fill out this survey about how sexually active I was, and about my menstrual cycle, and my age and boyfriend/spouse. That was the worst part. I didn't want to say that I was 16, although almost 17. And I definitely didn't want to say that I no longer have a boyfriend, and that he dumped me for this…girl…and that I didn't even bother to tell him that I think I'm pregnant!"

"I'm sorry about that, Daph,"

"Wait. I'm not done. And then they asked if we had thought of taking any precautions, like birth control or condoms or something. Obviously, we didn't think of that because we're dumbbells. Retarded dumbbells who aren't smart enough to fend for a baby. Then the doctors asked what my IQ was. I mean, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHAT MY IQ IS?! I mean, I'm not you Velma. I don't have an IQ of like…a million, but I don't have an IQ of fifty, either. But why would they ask me that? Maybe they just knew by looking at my face that I'm just some teenager who makes bad choices and doesn't have morals straight. Then they continued on to ask me about my family life and if that had anything to do with my poor decision making skills. I told them that my parents are never home and make up for that by buying me expensive gifts. He said that I should get emancipated. Of course, I don't want to get emancipated, even though the stupid doctor told me to. He doesn't even know anything about my life! He can't tell me what to do! I'M the only one who can decided what I want to do with my life,"

"Alright, Daphne, as rude as it sounds to say this, can you just please cut to the chase and tell me what the results were," Daphne moaned and then continued on with her super long monologue.

"Fine. If you didn't already get the memo from the rest of my speech, the results came out positive. I'm due in May. But I didn't even tell you about how that doctor told me to get an abortion! He was promoting the killing of live human beings!" Daphne was completely aware that she was having another one of her mood swings, but she didn't care in the slightest.

"So, are you going to tell Fred?" asked Velma.

"I have to, don't I?" Daphne rhetorically questioned. She looked at Velma, and the two of them began to deviate the perfect plan of how to give Fred an intimation about what was to come of the rest of his life. Finally Daphne had come up with the perfect plan. After that school day, the two girls went to Toys R Us and picked out the perfect baby doll. Then they bought a small wicker basket, and placed the doll in it. Then Daphne composed the perfect letter for Fred. The two girls left the basket on his doorstep, rang the doorbell, and took off running. Fred, expecting it to be Larissa waiting for him, answered the door in a rush. He looked around from left to right before he even thought of looking down. He saw the little wicker basket, picked it up, and looked through it to find the contents. Once he saw the baby doll, he was utterly confused. He rummaged through the basket once again and then he finally found the note. He saw his name written in perfect cursive and knew that it had to belong to Daphne. But, he wondered why she would send him a letter. They hadn't spoken to one another in an incredibly long time. He opened the envelope and pulled the parchment paper out. He unfolded the piece of paper and read the message. It said:

Fred,

I know we haven't talked in a long time because of that fight we had. But, I know that we can make it better. I don't want our friendship to end like this. Not now, and not because of that silly fight. I know we can fix this. But, the reason I decided to leave you this note was not because I wanted to apologize, although one of the reasons, it's not the main one. I need to talk to you. It's about our future. Well, mostly my future, but I just want you to be aware of what my future will bring you. I hope you took the hint. Meet me outside my house in two hours.

I hope you understand.

Hugs and kisses,

Daphne

Fred looked down at the paper, puzzled. He obviously did not take the hint. He figured the only thing to do was wait for those two hours to pass, so he could find out what was going on himself. Those two hours passed extremely slowly, and Fred hopped into his car, heading toward Daphne's house.

Daphne stood there, on her porch, coming up with a perfect speech. Running it through her mind and whispering it to herself. She really didn't want to make things more uncomfortable between her and Fred. She just wanted to make it clear that he didn't have to have anything to do with her; she just wanted him to know. She turned toward the road, and saw Fred standing on the pathway leading up to her front door. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and walked down the path to meet Fred halfway.

"Did you get the hint?"

"No…" Fred stammered. He just wanted her to get to the point.

"That's too bad. I guess I'll just start from the beginning then," She waited for Fred to nod so she could continue. "Well, I'm pregnant. You're the father. But don't say anything yet. I just have to explain. You don't have to dump Larissa over this. You don't even have to be friends with me again. I just wanted to make sure that you knew about your child. I mean, I'm sure you love Larissa very much, and I probably don't even measure up to her, but at least try to be a part of your son or daughter's life. I mean, I know you're going to college next year, and then I'll be following a year after, but I want our kid to know that you exist, and you weren't a bad person, and didn't desert me. Maybe if I had told you earlier about my speculations things would have worked out differently. But that fact is that I didn't. I'm sorry, and I really hope that everything goes fine with you and Larissa,"

"Daphne, I seriously doubt that things will work out between me and Larissa," Fred explained. "The truth is, there's somebody else. Actually, two other people,"

"And who are they?" Daphne started to sound a little stern, now she had to deal with two more people.

"You," Fred softly whispered. "You and our unborn child," His lips curled into a smile and he pulled Daphne into a tight embrace, letting her let out her tears onto his shoulder. "I never did stop loving you, you know?" Daphne nodded and brought her lips to his. She knew that everything was going to work out.


	10. Chapter 10

Buying the Buick

_**Buying the Buick**_

**Summary: **For once, Daphne does not split up with Fred, but why the sudden change of heart? Well, to say the least, it has to do with buying a Buick.

**Author's Note: **This is a challenge write. Somebody challenged me to write it, and I got so into it…well, I took the challenge (duh!). Oh, and buying the Buick does not simply mean to "buy a Buick" as in the car; it has another meaning, too.

**Disclaimer: **Me no own-y Scooby Doo.

Sleep. Fred and Daphne needed sleep. It had been a long day, talking about how they were going to tell their friends and family. They needed a rest, and, that's what they got. The two were fast asleep on the red couch in the Mystery Inc. Clubhouse. Also, it hadn't helped that the minute the two got home from their intense conversation out by Daphne's house, Fred was holding Daphne's red hair back while she, well…bought the Buick.

Of course, while they were dreaming of happy thoughts, they didn't notice the three beings walking in through the clubhouse door. Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby, that is.

"Velma, you can't be serious," Shaggy stated in disbelief. "I'm NOT going over to your Aunt's house. I remember it. It was across from a CEMETARY. I'm not going. Not going,"

"Re reither," Scooby sided with Shaggy.

"How about we have a vote?" Velma suggested, smiling smugly; for she figured that she would have gotten her way.

"How about not. Fred and Daphne will definitely side with you. They don't understand how Scooby and I feel," Shaggy explained. He was on to Velma's plan. "Not all of us find joy in staying overnight in a creepy haunted house, you know?"

"Of course I know that, Shaggy!" Velma exclaimed, she wasn't retarded, after all.

"How about you, Fred, and Daphne go to that scary house, and Scooby and I will stay home,"

"What? Raiding the pantry?"

"Like, Velma, that's not ALL we do. I'd probably be studying, Fred and I have a History test coming up," Shaggy defended. "I am graduating this year, you know, and, like, I don't want to do anything to mess that up,"

Velma rolled her eyes before replying, she was defeated, and she knew it, "I can't argue with studying. So, I guess we can stay home," Velma crossed her arms. "Aunt Bernadette's house can wait," The three friends walked into the family room of their apartment-ish clubhouse, and noticed Fred and Daphne, sleeping like babies on the couch. "Shhh," Velma shushed Shaggy and Scooby, who were prone to making noise.

"R'ould re r'wake r'em up?" Scooby asked, beginning to lick Daphne's face.

"Like, I guess," Shaggy answered, walking over to the couch, to shake Fred awake. Scooby and Shaggy shook, licked, and poked the two bodies lying on the couch. Eventually, they woke up. Daphne was the first, opening one eye and realizing that she had "accidentally" fallen asleep.

"Guys? Do you know how long I was sleeping for?" Daphne quietly murmured, for she was still slightly tired.

"Not as long as Fred, that's for sure," Shaggy pointed out the obvious. Daphne stifled a laugh.

"Thanks for that, Shaggy," Shaggy smiled in response and continued to shake Fred. Finally, after a few intense attempts, Fred awoke.

"Shaggy?" Fred and Daphne had been talking about how they were to break the news to Shaggy, who would then tell Scooby. Fred figured now would be as good a time as any. Although, he was still tired. "I need to talk to you,"

"Sure, alright, that's cool," Shaggy replied, following Fred outside of the living room.

"Well, I guess I'll just cut to the chase," Fred really didn't want to beat around the bush, but he did feel awkward talking to Shaggy about such a personal issue. He knew that Shaggy would understand though. There was much more to that lanky teen than the ability to eat nonstop and still not gain any weight. "Daphne's pregnant," Shaggy just looked at Fred with such shock, that Fred knew he should have told Shaggy about, well, their relationship to begin with.

"That's…great," Shaggy looked at the floor, he did not feel comfortable looking his friend in the eyes. "Um…well…congrats, man," Fred raised his eyebrow, he didn't think Shaggy would be congratulating him. "Um…I mean…that, you and Daphne--"

"It's okay, I know what you mean," Fred answered sincerely.

"Are you scared?" Shaggy questioned. "'Cause I know if Velma and I were going through, like, the same thing, I'd be scared," He nodded. "Yeah, I'd be, like, terrified, man,"

"Yeah. This is definitely something to go in the record books, but, for once," Fred gulped, he felt surprisingly odd saying this aloud, "Fred Jones is scared," He looked Shaggy in the eyes, "Like, terrified, man," Shaggy and Fred burst out into half-hearted laughs, indubitably lightening the mood of the situation. Velma and Daphne, hearing the estranged laughter coming from another room, decided to join the two boys.

"What's so funny?" Daphne smiled and walked over to Fred.

"Nothing," Fred and Shaggy murmured at the exact same time.

"So," Velma began. "What were you guys talking about?"

"Her," Shaggy pointed to Daphne, while Daphne blushed. Of course, that's all he needed to say for the rest of the gang to get the picture.

"I'm really tired, you guys," Daphne said. She really wasn't all that tired, but she just felt a little strange at the moment. "I'm going to go home," She walked out of the room before anybody could say goodbye.

"When did she tell you, Velma?" asked Shaggy, scooting closer to Velma, hoping that she didn't notice.

"During that car-salesperson mystery," Both Fred and Shaggy nodded. They knew Daphne had to tell Velma first, anything to the effect of pregnancy was such a girl thing.

Fred wanted to change the subject; he couldn't take any more of this talk. "So? Velma, Shaggy…you guys going out?"

"What are you talking about?" Fred heard coming from Velma and, "Like, huh?" coming from Shaggy.

"I know you guys like each other," Fred smiled. "I'm not blind, you know," Shaggy and Velma just stared at each other for awhile, not really knowing how to respond. It's true, they did have feelings for each other, but Velma didn't know Shaggy actually liked her back. Maybe Shaggy and Velma and Fred and Daphne could have a double wedding. If things actually progressed that quickly.

"Maybe I like Shaggy," Velma crossed her arms and twiddled her thumbs. "A little," She quietly added at the end.

"Yeah, and maybe I like Velma, too," Shaggy stated. "It's none of your business, though, Fred," Shaggy whispered the last part under his breath, hoping nobody would hear.

"I'll leave you two alone," Fred smirked as he left the room, hoping that Shaggy and Velma would finally hit it off.

"Well…" Shaggy began.

"So…" Velma added. "You like me and I like you…what does that mean?"

"I think we're supposed to kiss now," Shaggy explained, hoping to get an affirmative answer.

"You know, I've never kissed a guy before,"

"And I've never kissed a girl," Shaggy clasped his hands together. "Maybe we should try," Shaggy pulled Velma into a tight embrace and kissed her. He and Velma both noticed the sparks that flew in between them, and knew that this would be a kiss to remember.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Buying the Buick**_

**Summary: **For once, Daphne does not split up with Fred, but why the sudden change of heart? Well, to say the least, it has to do with buying a Buick.

**Author's Note: **This is a challenge write. Somebody challenged me to write it, and I got so into it…well, I took the challenge (duh!). Oh, and buying the Buick does not simply mean to "buy a Buick" as in the car; it has another meaning, too.

**Disclaimer: **Me no own-y Scooby Doo.

It was October 14; Daphne's birthday. And, as a sort of comfort/present from Fred, he decided to sleep over. Although, he did have another gift in mind. Fred rose from the bed, in his usual sleep attire of boxer briefs, and walked downstairs to prepare a quick breakfast-in-bed for his girlfriend. Unfortunately for Fred, though, he was in for quite a surprise when he ventured into the kitchen. Unbeknownst to poor Freddy, Daphne's parents had come home especially for there daughter's birthday. And, here was Fred, shirtless in his boxers, happily shuffling along. The defining moment in the morning was that meeting. Fred walked into the kitchen, humming to himself, and at that exact moment in time, they knew. Daphne's parents knew. It's like in that movie, _Blue Denim_, where even without saying the word "pregnant" and without saying the word "baby" more than once, people still knew what the movie was about. And that's what happened, without saying the word "sex" of course; Daphne's parents knew that their Daphne was no longer a little girl.

"Frederick? What on earth are you doing here?" Daphne's mother, Elizabeth Blake, inquired, while crossing her arms across her chest.

"…I'm making breakfast for your daughter," Fred stuttered, feeling increasingly awkward. Elizabeth smirked and turned to her husband.

"He could have at least put a shirt on," George scoffed. His wife nodded.

"Erm…I'm really sorry for the…" Fred tried to think of a word to describe his arrival. "Intrusion,"

"It's alright, Frederick, we're always happy to have you in the house," Mr. Blake made his three story mansion with a complete subway station seem humble. Fat chance.

"Heh, yeah, well, it's sure great to be here," Fred bit his lip as soon as he realized how that statement sounded. Hopefully he wasn't giving too much away. He decided to change the subject. "So, does Daphne like pancakes?"

"Well, I'm not too sure. George, does she like pancakes?"

"I believe so," Daphne's father rang a bell, and out of the enormous butler's pantry came François, the Blake family cook. "François, could you make some pancakes for my daughter?"

"Right away, sir," François answered while slightly bowing his head.

"No thanks…" Fred squeaked; for he did not feel comfortable ordering around servants. "Your, um, service isn't needed. I'll make the pancakes myself. I know how to cook, and I think Daphne'll find it more special if I made them," Fred tried to sound as clear as possible so he wouldn't seem like an idiot in front of the parental units.

"That's a good thought, Frederick, dear, but François here is truly happy--" Elizabeth was interrupted by Fred.

"It's okay, I really wanted to make them myself," Fred smiled. "I make a pretty mean blueberry-pancake,"

"I bet you do, Freddy," Daphne whispered as she appeared in full view.

"Hey, you're not supposed to be down here," Fred observed. "You're supposed to be sleeping!" He groaned and placed a mixing bowl on the counter. "Great. Now my surprise isn't a surprise anymore!"

"Well, I just came downstairs to see my parents," Daphne walked over and kissed the cheeks of both George and Elizabeth. "I just remembered they were coming home today, for my birthday!" That statement set off a trigger for her parents, boyfriend, and cook, because all at once, they exclaimed a big, hearty,

"Happy Birthday, Daphne!" Daphne smiled in response, hugged François, and kissed Freddy. After all, she had to make their relationship public one of these days, although, she had a feeling her parents already knew.

"Well, I'm starved," Daphne piped up. "Let's eat!" (A/N: Or…skiing, perchance? How about a discussion of the birds of New Zealand? Hahha…looong story)

"Speaking of eating," Elizabeth lowered her expensive Dior glasses to the bridge of her nose. "I don't mean to offend you, but, really, dear, have you been eating a lot lately?" By now she had taken the glasses off and placed them on the table. "Because, you seem to have gained some weight,"

"…well--" Daphne started.

"She's been eating like normal," Fred gave Daphne a hasty glance. "I assure you, er…Mr. and Mrs. Blake," Daphne elbowed Fred in the stomach. He was definitely not supposed to say that. It was her birthday, that day could not be ruined by a confession.

"Actually, I haven't," Daphne gave Fred another look. "You're right, mom, I've been eating a little bit more than I usually do,"

"Well, George, what do you think?" Elizabeth nudged her husband. "Maybe we should put her on a diet,"

Fred and Daphne exchanged nervous glances. "Wait, daddy, no…that's not…um…--"

"It's not very healthy, Mr. Blake," Fred shrugged. "You know, teenagers need their food," Fred crossed his fingers that the excuse would work, uncertain as to the results.

"Frederick, I think you should know that Daphne's been on a diet since she was almost six years old," explained Daphne's father. Fred blushed, not knowing where this conversation was going to lead.

"Oh," Fred muttered. "Well, it's different now," And, to think, Fred didn't want to give anything away.

"And, why is that?" George raised his eyebrows. He knew there was a secret. "What makes Daphne's condition any different now than what it was when she was younger?" Daphne took a deep breath; she knew there was absolutely no way out of this sticky situation. She needed to spill the beans. Now.

"I'm pregnant," Daphne stated. Fred bit his lip and sat down on a bar stool. He, like Daphne, didn't have the slightest clue as to how her parents were going to react.

"Daphne, dear, couldn't you have waited to tell us until tomorrow?" Elizabeth questioned. "I'd feel guilty to be mad at you on your birthday," Her husband decided to continue the statement by adding,

"But, the truth is, sweetheart, we are," George stood up and put his arm around Daphne. "What were you thinking? I thought you weren't that kind of girl,"

"I think the real feeling here is disappointment, George," Elizabeth rose from her seat and grabbed a hold of Daphne's hand. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Temporarily. Your father and I have to talk about this, alone. And how we're going to deal with it. I'm sorry that it's your birthday, but you can go do something with your friends. I mean, it's not like you can do anything worse than you've already done,"

"C'mon, Freddy," Daphne felt the hot rush of water running down her cheek. She knew her parents were going to react this way. But, truly, she would have preferred them to be raging mad. Then, of course…disappointed. "Let's go,"


End file.
